Clifton Hunter to open August
(CNS): Government high schools on Grand Cayman will be closing one week early for the summer vacation to allow officials the time to begin the “mammoth organisational exercise" of moving into the newly completed Clifton Hunter High School in Frank Sound ahead of the opening in August. Officials from the education department confirmed that at the start of the next school year on 29 August, Clifton Hunter students will be in their new school. John Gray students will be moving to the current George Hicks site in August as work continues on the second new high school, and students at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC) will be making use of the current John Gray site, officials explained.
“CIFEC students will be housed at the present JGHS campus to allow us to expand TVET options and offer enhanced ICT, library and workshop facilities. Demolitions and site and classroom renovations will take place over the summer,” officials from the ministry said. “The Department of Education Services has been working with our schools to prepare for the transitions.”
As a result the three public high schools will close at 1pm on Friday 22 June to allow teachers to pack up classroom resources, furniture and equipment for relocation to their new sites, in order to be ready for the August start. Officials said that the last week of school is typically spent doing school-based activities that are not core curriculum, such as team-building activities with teachers and students, so they will not be "disadvantaged educationally” as a result of the slightly earlier closure, a ministry spokesperson added.
The controversial high school project has remained a political football throughout the current administration as the UDP government pointed the finger at the previous education minister for continuing with the development of the state-of-the-art schools in the face of the economic recession.
The two new high schools were originally budgeted at around $110 million for both but the current education minister has stated that the cost will be much closer to $200 million but so far these extra cost have not been fully detailed.
Later this month the auditor general is expected to release a report on government spending on capital projects, which features the schoolsas one of its case studies.
See closure notice below.
Category: Local News
Is that our precious UDP or WHAT? They kicked the PPM all over the globe for starting the schools, now they fully expect to be glorified and possibly even re-elected (God forbid) for finishing them.
And, they conveniently forgot that they (the UDP) broke ground on the schools and a bunch of other stuff just before the 2009 election!
If they finished their trigonometry homework, I say let them out early.
I hope thay the present exit that opens directly on to Frank Sound Drive is only temporary, as this is in avery dangerous spot (on a curve). My suggestion would be to construct an exit west of the Frank Sound Fire Station and link it to the existing service road just north of the Station. The intersection of this road and Frank Sound Drive could then be improved with proper turning lanes and trafftc lights ,making for a much safer situation for everyone.
"My suggestion would be to construct an exit west of" – No can do, that would take another 12-15 months of construction under this UDPadministration and Rollie needs to show SOMETHING before May election
Now lets see all those A student getting pumped out of this high tech school..Surely this will be the answer to all the educational needs of Caymans Youth..
And yet we have have a batch of average teachers and illiteracy rates that are simply shameful for such a small population.
Really, ask ANY teacher from overseas and they will tell you we are:
1.) Forced to keep BAD teachers and pass the lemons.
2.) No "supply" teachers so when a teacher is sick or on maternity leave or out sick for weeks and weeks, the "teachers aids" teach the classes! Yup, glorified helpers doing the role of educators.
3.) The Ministry is ineffective, period. The senior management needs to be revamped.
Until someone in power is ready to get rid of the dead wood, we will suffer with bloated buidling budgets and watch as books and accountable teaching practices take the back seat.
I get furious when I see the waste and management for so few students. WHY are the parents (our voting public) still accepting this system?
For the free gas.
I am curious – what are the illiteracy rates? Where does one get that information?
a monument to the bloated, ineffiecent, over priced cayman islands government…
Congratulations to the PPM, it's about time. These schools were built for the children of these islands & for future generations. At least we can see what our money was spent on, can the UDP same the same? Where has all the millions & millions the UDP have wasted gone? What can we see for it?
20:16
You sound so stupid, what you do think UDP was doing for the last three years? spending our millions on those schools! trying to get them finish.
I think you need to take a visit to both those schools and see for your self where the money was wasted…as you claimed.
They are great looking schools, very over design…. but they are for our future children. lets have some civic pride towards our own people for once.
Lets thank both Governments. lets broden our minds and really see that they both played a part in getting these schools done.
Yes 11:53 you can thank PPM for the monument!
UDP broke ground on it, how come you blame the PPM?
Come on now, you cant have it both ways (unles youre bi-curious).
Either UDP broke ground on the new schools, so it was their idea to build these new big schools, and they are also to blame for the cost of building them; OR
the PPM started the schools and they are also to blame for the enormous cost of building them.
Pick one because you cant have both!!
This is where the most of gov't spending should be – education, education, education.!!!…..Our children are the light of the world and need to be highly educated!! second is Immmigration and Border Control….limiting migration and ability to get status with the bat of an eye thus having a system in place to keep this country for our children the light of our beloved Cayman Cayman Islands. Congratulations to the Principal and Faculty may you give to our children on the same level as we have given this facility to you to do so with..and hope your heart is enlightened thereby!
I agree with what you were saying until you said
"limiting migration and ability to get status with the bat of an eye thus having a system in place to keep this country for our children"
Your thinking is just wrong ……but i am sure you run to florida for shopping, medical and secondary schooling
Unless you open your mind your people will suffer…why do you think you had smoke pots while the rest of the world had allready gone to the moon ….Just saying
To Anonymous 06/11/2012 17:15 I believe you mean the USA and USSR had gone to the moon. If you are not from one of these countries,then you are in no position to look down on Cayman or Caymanians.Along with smokepots we also had something else that foreigners actually came looking for," peace and harmony and love for or fellowman".Just saying.
Congratulation 11:48
At least you are not political inclined with your positive statement. what the hell has gone wrong with these people? nothing the Government does pleases them!
I wish they would all just leave and let the the sensible people get on with our lives.
Must be election season! I thought the UDP said we didn't need the new schools. I am willing to bet that the new JGHS is almost finished by election day.
One fine example of Government efficiency at its best.
Double the cost to the tax payer and Triple the time to build.
How much will it cost us to operate these enormous facilities?
Drove cross that yesterday, they changed the colour of that green piece to blue now, the only colours they used were beige, blue and green.
Is this a UDP headquarters or a public school? TAKE THE PARTY COLOURS OUT OF THE SCHOOL!!
And you wonder why we have a problem with gangs…
did you also notice the curb side walk on south side that is sticking out unto the main road
It would be great to finally use them, but doesn't school start in September?
It was my understanding when this school was designed and built no operating budgets were worked out so the government didn't know the cost of operation is this true?